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Northfield Food Co-op

A neighbourhood buying club in Winnipeg

Pantry staples by the sack, at bulk prices

Once a month, our households pool one order of organic flour, oats, beans, rice, coffee, olive oil and maple syrup straight from the mill, the roaster and the farm. We split the freight by weight and pick everything up together at the community hall.

  • Closes Thursday, Nov 12 at 8 pm
  • 162 of 250 kg ordered so far
  • Up to 56% below shelf prices

Open now

November pantry round

Order by Thursday, November 12 at 8 pm. The pallet ships once the whole order reaches 250 kg, and pickup is at the hall on Saturday, November 28.

In this sample anyone can join: sign up for free, press Join and fill an order. Sending it shows a demo notice instead of ordering anything.

  1. Now to Thursday, Nov 12Add sacks, tins and jugs with + and −. You see your total, weight and estimated freight as you go, and can change your order until it closes.
  2. After it closesYou get a payment request for your products. Pay by card or Interac e-Transfer.
  3. When the pallet arrivesA second request bills your share of freight, split by weight to the cent.
  4. Pickup SaturdayCollect at the hall, or have your order posted on if you live out of town.

How a round works

One order a month, four suppliers, one pallet

  1. 1

    The round opens

    On the first Thursday of the month, members get a notice that ordering is open, and a reminder the day before it closes.

  2. 2

    Households order

    Pick the varieties and how many. Bulk sizes only: 10 kg sacks of flour, oats and rice, 5 kg bags of beans and lentils, 5 lb bags of coffee.

  3. 3

    We order once

    Ruth sends each supplier one order for the whole co-op. The mill, the roaster and the importer share a pallet on the freight line.

  4. 4

    Pay and pick up

    Products are paid after ordering closes, freight once the pallet is weighed, and everyone collects on Saturday.

What we buy

This month's products

Co-op prices per sack, tin or jug, before freight. Freight adds about 36¢ to 58¢ a kilogram depending on how full the pallet is.

Prairie Grain Mill

Organic flour

Bulk bag · 10 kg

$25.00–$34.00

Unbleached all-purpose · Whole wheat · Spelt

Prairie Grain Mill

Organic rolled oats

Bulk bag · 10 kg

$24.00

Large flake · Quick

Prairie Grain Mill

Dried beans & lentils

Bulk bag · 5 kg

$17.00–$21.00

Black beans · Chickpeas · Red lentils · French green lentils

Prairie Grain Mill

Organic brown basmati rice

Bulk bag · 10 kg

$31.00

Red River Roasters

Coffee beans

Whole bean, 5 lb bag · 2.3 kg

$58.00–$64.00

Northfield house blend, medium · Dark espresso roast · Swiss Water decaf

Aegean Pantry Imports

Extra virgin olive oil

3 L tin · 3.1 kg

$46.00

Up to 4 per household

Sugarbush Maple Farm

Pure maple syrup

4 L jug · 5.4 kg

$62.00

Amber, rich taste · Dark, robust taste

Up to 2 per household

Savings

What buying together saves

Co-op price against a typical supermarket shelf price for the same kind of product. Shelf prices are sample figures for this demo.

ProductCo-opOn the shelfYou save
Organic flour10 kg, unbleached all-purpose$2.65 / kg$4.40 / kgOrganic all-purpose flour, 2.5 kg at $10.9940%
Organic rolled oats10 kg$2.40 / kg$5.49 / kgOrganic large-flake oats, 1 kg at $5.4956%
Dried beans & lentils5 kg, red lentils$3.40 / kg$5.88 / kgRed lentils, 900 g at $5.2942%
Coffee beans2.27 kg$25.55 / kg$47.03 / kgWhole bean coffee, 340 g at $15.9946%
Extra virgin olive oil3 L$15.33 / L$18.99 / LExtra virgin olive oil, 1 L at $18.9919%
Pure maple syrup4 L$15.50 / L$25.91 / LMaple syrup, 540 ml at $13.9940%

Co-op prices are before freight, which is usually under 60¢ a kilogram.

Pickup

October's pallet is here: pickup Saturday, November 7

From 10 am to 1 pm at Northfield Community Hall, 120 Linden Street. Bring bags or a cart: a full order can weigh 30 kg. Orders with an unpaid request wait at the hall until they're paid, and you can send a neighbour to collect for you.

Where
Northfield Community Hall, side door off the parking lot
When
Saturday, November 7, 10:00 to 13:00 (Central time)
Out of town?
We post orders on by Canada Post for a flat fee; ask in your order note.

FAQ

Good to know

Who can order?

Member households of the co-op. Joining is free: sign up, press Join on the co-op's page and you can order from the open round. In this sample anyone can join.

When do I pay?

After ordering closes, you get a payment request for your products, and once the pallet is weighed, a second one for your share of freight. Pay each by card or Interac e-Transfer from the group buy page.

How is freight split?

By weight. The freight bill for the whole pallet is divided by how much each order weighs, to the cent, so a household with two sacks pays about twice as much as one with one.

What if we don't reach 250 kg?

The pallet minimum keeps freight affordable. If the order falls short at closing, Ruth decides whether it ships anyway at the higher rate or the round is cancelled, and everyone who ordered is told either way.

Can I change my order?

Yes, as often as you like until the round closes at 8 pm on closing day. After that the totals go to the suppliers.

Something arrived damaged. What now?

Report a problem on the group buy page within two days of pickup. For damage, add a short video of you opening the bag or tin and any photos. Ruth answers every report with a refund, a replacement or another fix.

Join or ask

Questions before you join?

Write to Ruth, the co-op coordinator. She replies within two days, and we always need a few volunteers on pickup Saturday.